TAMRON HALL Shares Moving Reaction to Decision in Breonna Taylor Case

Tamron Hall began the Thursday, September 24th edition of her show commenting on the Kentucky Grand Jury's decision, announced yesterday, in the Breonna Taylor case before dedicating the rest of the broadcast to the nationwide debate surrounding mask usage during the pandemic.

The grand jury's decision means that no one will be criminally charged with killing Taylor, a 26-year-old Black emergency room technician and aspiring nurse. Hall started the show by saying: "Well before we go to this talk about masks, there's something that I cannot mask and hold back. Yesterday afternoon the Attorney General of Kentucky announced no one would be charged directly with THE KILLING of Breonna Taylor. There have been protests around the country overnight, and there's word of even more protests including in Louisville, Kentucky."

Holding back tears, Hall continued, "Like so many of you watching right now, I had a sleepless night to be honest with you. Heartbroken that an innocent woman could be killed unarmed in her own bed and so many of us are left asking 'how is this possible?'"

Yesterday, the grand jury indicted a former Louisville police officer on the charge of wanton endangerment during the execution of a "no-knock" warrant at Taylor's home in March. However, no charges were announced against THE OTHER TWO officers who fired shots, and no one was charged for Taylor's death.

Reflecting on her June interview with Breonna's mother, Tamika Palmer, Hall shared: "While the public deals with this pain, her grief is unimaginable."

During their conversation, Hall had asked Palmer what had been taken from her given the death of her daughter, to which she emotionally responded, "A piece of me. It's just heartbreaking. You know, she didn't deserve it. And she would've helped anybody, and she will continue to help people."

Hall noted: "At the beginning of the show we show a montage - that very last clip is Moses clapping as his mom walks out. The thought of a mom having to face this over and over again and now trying to reconcile is a lot for any of us to try and process. Breonna Taylor was an EMT worker whose job it was to save lives and now she won't be able to live the life that she deserved."

Later in the show, Tamron shared her opinion about the debate surrounding wearing masks amidst the pandemic during her conversation with Senior Director of Health Care Innovation at American Psychological Association, Dr. Vaile Wright. Hall said: "I DON'T care who is leading, if you tell me something is going to save my life, I am here for the long haul. I'd like to stick around. I know many people are guided by leadership and what some other folks will tell them, but in the end, if you say to me 'It's going to help keep someone else safe and keep me and my family safe,' I'm going to accept that."

She concluded the show by adding: "The thing that continues to stick in my mind is the way we are capable of treating each other. And I feel like if you have a beef over masks, and you DON'T believe the science, that's your journey. But to raise your hand and threaten another person over a piece of cloth... is that mask masking your heart? Because it should be filled with love."

Watch a clip here:

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